Actin cytoskeleton of resting bovine platelets

Actin filaments in resting discoid bovine platelets were examined by fluorescence and electron microscopy. Rhodamine-phalloidin staining patterns showed a characteristic wheel-like structure which consisted of a central small circle connected by several radial spokes to a large peripheral circle. This wheel-like structure was composed of actin filaments forming a characteristic arrowhead structure with heavy meromyosin from muscle. Actin filaments were densely arrayed in parallel with a marginal microtubule band and radiated out from the center to the periphery. Platelets treated with colchicine lost their marginal microtubule band but retained their wheel-like structure and normal discoid form. Cytochalasin B disrupted the wheel-like structure but not the marginal microtubule band or the normal discoid form. After simultaneous treatment with both cytochalasin B and colchicine, platelets lost their discoid shape. These results suggest that actin filaments and microtubules both play important roles in the maintenance of the discoid shape of resting bovine platelets.     

A small GTP-binding protein (G protein) recognized by smg p25A GDP dissociation inhibitor (GDI) in human platelet membranes and GDI for this small G protein in human platelet cytosol

We have recently purified from bovine brain cytosol a novel type of regulatory protein for smg p25A, named smg p25A GDP dissociation inhibitor (GDI), that regulates the GDP/GTP exchange reaction of smg p25A by inhibiting the dissociation of GDP from and thereby the subsequent binding of GTP to it. This smg p25A GDI is inactive for other ras p21/ras p21-like small GTP-binding proteins (G proteins) including c-Ha-ras p21, smg p21, rhoA p21 and rhoB p20. In human platelet membranes, smg p25A was not detected but a G protein with an apparent Mr value of 24,000 (24KG) was recognized by smg p25A GDI and the dissociation of GDP from and the binding of GTP to 24KG were inhibited by smg p25A GDI. The doses of smg p25A GDI necessary for these activities for both 24KG and smg p25A were the same. This 24KG was not recognized by an anti-smg p25A monoclonal antibody. The GDI activity for human platelet 24KG and smg p25A was detected in human platelet cytosol. This human platelet GDI was recognized by an anti-smg p25A GDI polyclonal antibody. These results indicate that there is a 24KG-24KG GDI system similar to a smg p25A-smg p25A GDI system in human platelets.     

Tuberculous thyroiditis and miliary tuberculosis manifested postpartum in a patient with thyroid carcinoma

Right nodular goiter with diffuse miliary shadow on chest roentgenogram was found in a postpartum febrile woman. Transbronchial lung biopsy revealed tuberculous granuloma and acid-fast bacilli were found by aspiration cytology of the thyroid. Although chemotherapy was effective, the thyroid nodule remained palpable and the serum thyroglobulin level remained high. Subtotal thyroidectomy revealed papillary carcinoma associated with tuberculosis and lymph nodes metastasis. This seems to be the first case report of a patient with tuberculous thyroiditis, coexisting with thyroid carcinoma, diagnosed by aspiration cytology and treated prior to surgery.     

Effect of short — chain fatty acids on electrical activity of the small intestinal mucosa of rat

Intravenous administration of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA), such as propionate, butyrate, valerate and caproate, caused a transient increase in transmural potential difference (p.d.) across the small intestine of rat $\text{in vivo}$. There was a sigmoid relationship between the change in the p.d. and the logarithm of the dose of SCFA. The median effective dose of propionate, n-butyrate, n-valerate and n-caproate, which was calculated from the each dose-response curve obtained from the terminal ileum, 1.31, 1.43, 0.83 and 0.81 μmole, respectively. Repeated administrations of the same dose of propionate evoked progressively smaller response. The dose-response curve of propionate was shifted to the left by neostigmine and to the right by atropine, suggesting that the action of SCFA may be mediated by acetylcholine, which was released from a nerve ending.     

A polarized light and electron microscopic study of the birefringent fibrils inPhysarum plasmodia

Summary The birefringent fibrils in thin-spread plasmodium ofPhysarum polycephalum have been investigated with both polarizing and electron microscopes. The birefringent fibrils were classified into three groups by polarized light microscopy. The first type of fibril is observed in the advancing frontal region as a mutual orthogonal array. The birefringence changes rhythmically in accordance with the shuttle streaming. The second type of birefringent fibril is located in the strand region and runs parallel or somewhat oblique to the strand axis. The third type is observed in the strand region always perpendicular to the streaming axis. Electron microscopy confirmed that all these fibrils are composed of microfilaments, which range in densities in the cross view of the fibril from 1.2 to 1.7 × 10³/m² (1.5 × 10³/(xm² on the average).     

Cartilage-derived factor (CDF) : II. Somatomedin-like action on cultured chondrocytes

Previously, we showed that fetal bovine cartilage contains a polypeptide that stimulates the incorporation of [³⁵S]sulfate into proteoglycans synthesized by rat and rabbit costal chondrocytes in culture. In this paper, we report that the cartilage-derived factor (CDF) increases not only [³⁵S]sulfate incorporation but also [³H]thymidine incorporation into rabbit chondrocytes in monolayer culture. The dose-response curve of CDF stimulation of DNA synthesis was similar in profile to that of CDF stimulation of proteoglycan synthesis. In addition, CDF markedly enhanced [³H]uridine incorporation into rabbit chondrocytes and significantly enhanced [³H]serine incorporation into total protein. These findings indicate that fetal bovine cartilage contains a factor that shows somatomedin-like activity in monolayer cultures of rabbit chondrocytes.     

Eu-actinin, a new structural protein of the Z-line of striated muscles

A new protein component of the Z-line of striated muscles was isolated from chicken breast muscle. This protein has been designated as eu-actinin because of its close similarity in polypeptide molecular weight to actin. Eu-actinin was extracted from myosin-removed myofibrils at low ionic strength at pH 6.5 and purified by column chromatography on Sepharose 4B and DEAE-cellulose. Although the polypeptide molecular weight of eu-actinin measured by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is similar to that of actin, other physico-chemical properties of eu-actinin definitely differ from those of actin. The isoelectric point of eu-actinin was more acidic than that of actin. The amino acid composition of eu-actinin was found to be different from that of actin or those of other muscle structural proteins. The results of analytical gel filtration on Sepharose 4B indicated that eu-actinin forms dimers through non-covalent bonding under aqueous conditions. Eu-actinin has a low axial asymmetry under low-salt conditions, as judged from its intrinsic viscosity ([eta] = 6.4 ml/g for the dimer state) and exhibits a tendency to undergo self-association with increasing ionic strength. Interactions of eu-actinin with other muscle proteins were examined by the affinity column technique. It was shown that eu-actinin binds to actin and alpha-actinin. Eu-actinin exhibited strong seeding ability for the polymerization of actin. Antibody to eu-actinin was raised in a goat and purified by affinity chromatography. The specific antibody against eu-actinin did not form precipitine lines with actin or alpha-actinin. Immunofluorescence studies revealed that eu-actinin is localized at the Z-line of myofibrils. The FITC-conjugated antibody to eu-actinin also stained the Z-lines of rabbit skeletal muscle and chicken cardiac muscle. Therefore, it was concluded that eu-actinin is a new, ubiquitous constituent of Z-lines of striated muscles.     

9-beta-D-Arabinofuranosyl-8-n-butylaminoadenine, a C-8 substituted nucleoside in the anti conformation. Crystallographic and NMR studies

The protein NMR spectrum of 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl-8-n-butylaminoadenine shows an unusually low-field 5'-hydroxyl proton resonance, which has been interpreted in terms of an anti glycosidic conformation together with an 05' ... N8 intramolecular hydrogen bond. Confirmatory evidence for this was obtained by an X-ray crystallographic study; in the crystal, the glycosidic angle chi is 52.7 degrees and the sugar pucker is C3' endo-C4' exo.     

Physicochemical properties of pyocin F1.

The physiochemical properties of pyocin F1 were studied. Pyocin F1 consists of flexuous rod-like particles homogenous in size. Each particle was composed of rod and fiber parts. The rod part was 105.5 +/- 9.5 nm long and 10.0 +/- 1.4 nm wide, and showed regular striations amounting to 23 layers. The fiber part was composed of several filaments; the length of the longest filament was 43.0 +/- 12.0 nm. The amino acid composition, the partial specific volume (0.720 ml/g), the sedimentation coefficient (S020,W = 35.1S), and the translational diffusion constant (0.94 +/- 0.01 x 10(-7) cm2/s) were determined. The particle weight was calculated to be 3.23 x 10(6) daltons.